Evolution / Genetics

13th-century Mongolian warrior found in Siberia

Coal company workers in Eastern Siberia have uncovered the final resting place of a 13th-century Mongolian warrior while digging near the city of Irkutsk, the Russian Interior Ministry’s local branch said Friday.

Upon hearing that a skeleton had been discovered on his company’s property, the director of Yevrougol (“Euro Coal”) called police, who came to the scene and determined that the remains should be viewed by officials from the service for the preservation of cultural heritage.

Archaeologists believe that the uncovered “skull, bones and ammunition belong to a Mongolian warrior dating back to the 13th century,” police said in a statement.

Eight flat metal pieces resembling arrow heads, a fragment of a stirrup and leather items were discovered around the bones, the statement said.

At its peak around 1270, the Mongol Empire was the largest contiguous empire to ever appear in human history. Similar graves also have been discovered in Eastern Siberia.